There was a relatively well-behaved start from the multi-class field, with only one key moment coming from America’s Ben Keating, who buried his United Autosport USA LMP2 car in the gravel at the first chicane.
This produced a slow zone area for a few moments before it was lifted.
Ferrari’s defending winners, in their #50 car, led the overall standings but will be hit with a 10-second penalty when they head into the pits next time around for an unsafe release in the pit lane.
Porsche’s #6 pole sitter and Cadillac’s #3 car only lost a single place in the first hour of running. Both cars were in second and third respectively on the hour mark, while Proton Competition led the LMP2 class ahead of Panis Racing and United Autosports. In the overall order, those three stand from 23rd to 25th.
Inception Racing led the LMGT3 order with a close lead over Proton Competition’s GT3 contender. JMW Motorsport completed the top three of the class. The top three LMGT3 cars were 37th, 38th and 39th overall.